Jeff House has spent nearly 30 years involved in coaching basketball, his entire professional life and 60% of his entire life. To say he is a “basketball-lifer” would be an understatement.

House recently completed a season at the University of Kentucky as an assistant for the women’s basketball program. Brought on board to provide experience, lead and mentor the coaching and office staffs as well as install the high-powered office he has been known for; his year at Kentucky was a major success. Being handed the reigns of directing the Kentucky offensive system UK enjoyed the best offensive season in program history establishing over 20 firsts or records at Kentucky, within the SEC or Nationally.

Those records included: Tying an NCAA record for most field goals made in an NCAA Tournament game – 44, scoring 95 or more points in 7 of our first 10 games, seven 100 point games in one season – school record, first time in school history, defeating Top 10 opponents in back-to-back games: 12/1/13 vs. #4 Louisville and 12/6/13 @ #7 Baylor for the first time in school history, our 133 points vs. #7 Baylor were most in school history, 117 points vs. Bradley second most in school history, 116 points vs. Lipscomb third most in school history, Kentucky led the SEC in scoring – first time in school history, first regular season win over a Top 5 team since 2006 (#1 Tennessee) first in Memorial Coliseum since #5 Auburn in 2000 – 12/1/13 vs. #4 Louisville, 108 points vs. Ole Miss – most points ever scored by a Kentucky team in an SEC game.

Kentucky finished with 26 wins, their 5th consecutive Sweet 16 appearance and a final National ranking of #10.

As the assistant coach for the Chicago Sky, House helped the Sky lay the foundation for the organizations best two seasons ever and provided the necessary leadership and change that lead to the 2013 WNBA Eastern Conference Regular Season Championship after his move to Lexington.

In working directly with the Sky frontcourt House added 3 more All-Stars to his already expansive list of the 16 WNBA All-Stars and major award winners he’s helped during his career. House guided USA National Team starting center Sylvia Fowles as she became only the second player in WNBA history to average 20 points and 10 rebounds in a season. With the Sky’s Head Coach and General Manager in Russia during the WNBA off-season, House assumes the head coach and general manager duties here in the U.S. to maintain continuity within the organization.

Prior to the 2012 season the Sky made arguably some of the finest moves in the WNBA, acquiring All-Stars and WNBA Champions Swin Cash, Ticha Penicheiro, Ruth Riley and Le’Coe Willingham, without giving up a single WNBA player. These trades and signings came directly during House’s watch and he was directly involved in the negotiations. Currently, House has evaluated and prepared the Sky for the 2013 WNBA Draft and will make the #2 selection for the organization LIVE on ESPN on April 15th.

Bringing Defense to the Sky

When House left Chicago for Lexington, he was one of the senior most coaches in the WNBA, head or assistant coach. Regarded as one of the league’s master defensive tactician’s, learning scouting, game planning and defensive strategies from Stan and Jeff Van Gundy as well as Richie Adubato; House’s impact to the Sky was immediately felt on the defensive end of the floor.

Under House’s guidance:

The Sky held opponents to a .414 shooting percentage in 2011, second best in the WNBA.

The Sky held its opponents to only 75.0 points per game in both 2011 & 2012, good for fifth and fourth best in the league, respectively.

The Sky allowed a mere 55 points to be scored by Tulsa (7/28/11), was one off the team record for fewest points allowed by an opponent in a game. The team record was tied earlier during the 2011 season by Tulsa at the Allstate Arena 7/13/11. House’s defensive schemes on the Shock’s Liz Cambage frustrated the All-Star center into tow of her worst games and fouling out both contests. On 9/11/12 Chicago held defending WNBA Champion Minnesota to just 70 points, 16 points under their league leading scoring average in route to an 83-70 win.

The Sky recorded11 blocked shots at Atlanta (6/21/11); the Sky tied an all-time Sky record for blocks in a single game.

The Sky averaged 5.6 blocks per game in 2011, which was best in the league.

The Sky amassed 183 total blocks in 2011, surpassing the team’s single season high of 160 and is only the 2nd team in WNBA history to reach 180 blocks in a season.

Collegiate Coaching at the University of Virginia

As an assistant coach for the University of Virginia in the ACC from 2005 – 09, House helped Debbie Ryan re-establish the Cavaliers into one of the nation’s elite women’s collegiate basketball programs. The Cavaliers, with House on staff, consistently ranked among the Nation’s Top 20-30 teams. As the programs’ recruiting coordinator House’s recruiting classes were ranked #10 (2008), #3 (2009) and #14 (2010) nationally by multiple national recruiting services including Blue Star Report, All Star Girl’s Report and Collegiate Girl’s Basketball Report. His additional responsibilities included program administration, opponent scouting, player development, on-court instruction, program system development, practice & game preparation, scheduling, community and alumni relations and fund raising. House played an instrumental role in the overall development of Virginia’s All-American guard Monica Wright. Working closely with Wright, the explosive talent blossomed into the ACC’s most outstanding player and league’s leading scorer. House joined the Cavaliers after more than 20 seasons of coaching basketball, including seven seasons with the New York Liberty and one year as the top assistant coach with the WNBA’s Washington Mystics all with Richie Adubato.

With the New York Liberty, House was instrumental in the team’s run to the 1999, 2000, and 2002 WNBA Eastern Conference Championships, 4 appearances in the Eastern Conference Championship series, 3 WNBA All-Star Team coaching appearances and 3 appearances in the WNBA Finals. House initially joined the Liberty in 1998 as the video coordinator and advance scout after spending the 1997-98 season as a member of the New York Knicks video staff.

House played basketball at Nazareth College (Rochester, NY) before suffering a career-ending injury. While he was an undergraduate House immediately jumped into the coaching realm, beginning his coaching career at McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, N.Y. At McQuaid, he served as boy’s varsity assistant to former Knicks and Houston Rockets head coach, now ESPN, NBC, ABC and TNT analyst, Jeff Van Gundy in 1985. In 1986, House was a key component to McQuaid’s run to the Class B, Section 5 New York State Boy’s Basketball Championship. After McQuaid’s championship run, House moved into the collegiate coaching ranks as the top assistant on Kevin Moore’s Elmira College men’s basketball staff. During his year with the Soaring Eagles, Elmira made its only trip to the ECAC championship game and finished with a 21-7 record. Recruiting 11 players for the following fall, House helped to secure Elmira’s future success and played a major role into the Soaring Eagles All-Time record book as many of his recruits went on to establish all time career and single season records while at Elmira College.

A 1987 graduate of Nazareth College, House earned a bachelor’s degree in art education. He also received a master’s degree in teaching, guidance and counseling from Jacksonville University in 1992.

After his undergraduate graduation, House spent the next decade honing his skills as an assistant men’s coach, including four seasons (1988-91) at the University of Lowell as an assistant to current Detroit Pistons Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations former Miami Heat and Orlando Magic head coach and ESPN analyst Stan Van Gundy, two seasons at Jacksonville University as an assistant coach with Matt Kilcullen and following the receipt of his master’s degree, four seasons (1992-96) as an assistant coach at Rutgers University during their transition into the Big East Conference with Bob Wenzel. While at Rutgers in 1995, House served as head coach for the People-to-People Sports Holland All-Star Tour. He directed a combination of Big East, Atlantic 10, and Big Ten All-Stars to a 6-1 record, losing only to Holland’s National Champions.

Professional Affiliations

House is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (28 years) and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (17 years). He serves as president and on-court director of House’s HOOP Headquarters, a basketball skills and development company he created in 1996. In 2009 House also founded AllBasketballReview.com a coaching, player and parent resource for all aspects of basketball development.

House has always been an active member in the community. From 2009 – 2011, he helped Ben D’Alessadro direct a Virginia 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Virginia Basketball Academy, whose mission is to build character and shape lives through the game of basketball. The organization services over 1,000 boys and girls year-round in the Charlottesville, VA area, providing skill and character development through a wide range of programming. In 2010 House help to develop and establish the JBL (the Junior Basketball League) a boy’s and girls 1st – 4th league that began play in the fall of 2011, as well as the VDBL (the Virginia Developmental Basketball League for boy’s and girl’s grades 5th – 8th). These leagues currently have nearly 80 teams participating.

While in New York, House worked closely with the Cheering For Children Foundation and The After School Corporation (TASC). He has also served as a regional presenter and coaching instructor for the New Jersey Special Olympics. House participated with the WNBA Read to Achieve program and the Junior WNBA/NBA coaching clinics. In Charlottesville, House annually spoke and conducted clinics for the VABA, YMCA and Upward coaches and players, as well as numerous school clinics and visitations in the area while volunteering for numerous charitable functions. While in Lexington House became active in the God’s Pantry Food Bank a member of feeding America who’s mission is to create a hunger free America through over 200 food banks and food-rescue organizations.

House and his wife Ann Leonard-House, the former head women’s volleyball coach at UMass-Lowell and Rutgers University (the 54th winningest Division I Women’s volleyball coach in history), are blessed with two wonderful children: a daughter Elizabeth and a son Thomas.